Monday, October 18, 2010

The Ultimate Team Challenge

When the San Jose mine in Chile collapsed August 5th trapping 33 miners they faced the ultimate team challenge. Seventeen days not knowing for certain if they would be found and then another 52 days waiting to be rescued with the risk of further rock slides and collapses from the drilling and other rescue activities.

We do not yet know much about what went on during those 69 days but we do know they survived, maintained order, cared for one another in the process, and at the end emerged remarkably fit and strong. The last miner rescued, Luiz Urzua, was the shift supervisor when the mine collapsed and by all accounts the leader of the group. Mr. Urzua may never have heard of emotional intelligence (EQ) however he must have an abundance of it and the team EQ must also be quite high. The EQ traits of Optimism; Problem Solving; Reality Testing; Flexibility; Stress Management; Impulse Control; Self Regard; Social Responsibility; and Empathy all must have been critical at various times during their ordeal.

Hopefully you and your team will never face an extreme challenge like spending 69 days surviving in a collapsed mine but how do you think you would do in a similar circumstance? Does your team possess the traits needed to survive as a team and emerge strengthened by it? More to the point do you have what it takes to communicate effectively when a competitor launches a new product priced to take market share from you? Can you respond to customers complaining and keep them buying from you without sacrificing margin? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you have any doubts about how your team members respond under pressure of critical demands now is the time to develop those EQ skills.